


in hope, I breathe

by LukeSkywalkersChanelBoots



Series: The Obligatory Tatooine AU [2]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Prequel Trilogy, Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Angst with a Happy Ending, Brotherly Love, Gen, Happy Ending, eventually
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-17
Updated: 2021-03-17
Packaged: 2021-03-26 09:14:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 753
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30103689
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LukeSkywalkersChanelBoots/pseuds/LukeSkywalkersChanelBoots
Summary: Cody has a breakdown, learns some things, and Rex is a little shit (and a good brother), in that order.
Relationships: CC-2224 | Cody & CT-7567 | Rex, CC-2224 | Cody/Obi-Wan Kenobi
Series: The Obligatory Tatooine AU [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2213631
Kudos: 60





	in hope, I breathe

**Author's Note:**

> Direct continuation of and I wonder why I still live on,
> 
> and ends with us a step closer to the codywan reunion :)
> 
> Written for day 5 of Commander Cody Week

When they finally let go of each other, it’s just so a medic can check in on Cody. They sit in silence after the medic leaves them alone, and it’s then that the little box Cody’s shoved his freakout into breaks. 

It claws its way to the forefront of his mind, the realization.

~~~~~~~

The voice; it comes out of  _ his _ mouth. 

“Blast him!”

~~~~~~~

_ You killed him, the nasty little voice hisses. It’s your fault. You gave the Order.  _

Cody feels like he’s breaking apart, crumbling like a cliff onto the plains below.

He holds Rex tighter, and his voice cracks. “You’re all I’ve got left, vod’ika. Just you. And it’s  _ my own fault— _ ”

Rex pulls away to look him in the eye, but Cody finds that he can’t bring himself to meet his brother’s gaze. 

“Cody, ori’vod. _ What— _ and I say this with all respect _ —the fuck are you talking about _ ?”

“My General; it was  _ me _ ,  _ I  _ gave the order to shoot him down, Rex!  _ It was me! _ ” 

Understanding flashes across Rex’s face for a moment. He brings his hand up to Cody’s shoulder. “No, vod, you didn’t.”

“ _ I gave the fucking order _ , Rex! What part of that don’t you understand?” 

“Cody. Pipe down for a minute will you? Let me tell you something.”

“Rex,  _ what even—” _

“Hush. Listen. Firstly, it wasn’t your fault _ —and don’t even think about objecting,  _ ori’vod. None of us had a choice. I got lucky, Codes, you understand that? I was so fucking lucky.”

“Rex _ — _ ”

“Cody, I was literally the only living brother who knew the truth about the chips, and even that wasn’t enough to stop me from trying to kill Commander Tano.” A shadow falls across his face. “It only meant I knew what was happening, and we had a few  _ seconds _ of warning. It was barely enough to save the two of us.”

“I thought you were  _ dead _ , Cody.” His voice breaks. “We all did.”

“Wait, what?”

“We knew there was pretty much no chance of you making it out alive, not after you failed to kill General Kenobi. I thought they’d killed you, Cody.”

Cody’s head is spinning. He doesn’t know what to think.  _ He’s not fucking dead! _ Sobs one part of his brain. ‘I need to sit down,” Cody rasps.

“We’re already on the floor?”

“Rex, you bastard, shut up,” he says, but there's no heat behind it. “You dramatic little shit.”

“Me?” Rex squawks, offended. “Which of the two of us was it that dogpiled Grievous?”

Cody laughs incredulously. He can hardly believe it. To be honest, he hardly knows what to do with himself.

“How long, Rex.” It’s not really a question. He  _ knows _ it’s been years, can see it in the new lines of Rex’s face and his own hair, finally beginning to grey.

Rex sighs. “Nearly eight.”

Eight years is a long time. But, Cody supposes, it’s not as long as it could have been. Unless, of course, the Rebellion decides they’d rather have him as a prisoner. 

“Am I a prisoner, Rex?”

“Cody _ — _ ”

“Don’t lie to me, vod’ika. We both know they’d rather get every bit of intel they can get out of me than just let me go.”

“Well, I actually have some good news for you there.”

“Hmm?”  _ I’m not going to make myself miserable, I won’t. This is just how it is— _

“I, being the wonderful brother that I am, took the liberty of setting up a session for Alliance Command to grill you.”

“And this is good why?” 

“Because when that’s done, you,” Rex says pointedly, “Are free to go do  _ whatever the fuck you want _ .”

~~~~~~~

As they walk through the hallways of the base after the not-quite interrogation, all Cody can think is how monumentally  _ lucky _ he’s been. 

Most of his brothers are either dead, or they’re still slaves to the Empire.  _ To be honest, it might be better if they were actually dead _ , Cody thinks, and he hates himself for it.  _ At least they’d still be people. _

As though he can read Cody’s mind, Rex breaks the silence with “There’s a network we’ve created. The few of us clones that got out, I mean.”

“So…”

“Not a lot, Cody. It’s mostly lower ranks. They go out on a mission, get knocked on the head, you know how it goes.”

“I figured, Rex. I know.” Cody lets his breath out loudly. For a moment the only sound is that of their boots on the floor. 

“Where are we going?”  _ Where is he? _

“Tatooine.”

**Author's Note:**

> Next fic: we finally get to Tatooine
> 
> should be up within a few weeks, homework and home life willing
> 
> I'll probably also be editing and well. making this and the previous fic in the series a bit longer, when I don't have the time crunch hanging over my head :) so keep an eye out for that, if you're interested.


End file.
